Every Tuesday New Era will publish The Feedback – comprising of responses by government ministries, offices and agencies on a variety of issues raised by the public in the media. This platform is aimed at enhancing communication between the government and citizens, especially on matters of service delivery.
Ministry of Justice
Query: MINISTRY of Justice, how do you transfer a person permanently to another station because they have a criminal case being investigated but the person has not yet been found guilty? Can the director of justice please tell us? This happened at the Tsumeb magistrate’s court. What happened to the concept of innocent until proven guilty by a court of law?
Response: The said staff member was transferred to Rundu Magistrate’s Court in order to allow investigation and prevent tampering with documents. The said staff member is being investigated of a criminal case (theft of state money) at Tsumeb Magistrate’s Office where she was the head of administration. She is out on bail and her bail conditions do not allow her to be at office unless the date of appearing in court. To the allegation she was transferred permanently, this is not the case, until the court pronounces itself on this case the staff member will be and is still just a suspect in this case. She is only at Rundu Magistrate’s Court until the case is finalized. The ruling on her case will direct how this will be resolved. Simon Idipo, Senior PRO, Ministry of Justice 061 280 5375 or 0814232203 or sidipo@moj.gov.na.
Query: SO, a man kills a woman and he gets about 30 years to life in prison while a woman kills a man and only gets six years. Does that make men lesser beings than women in Namibia? (A man can be classified as an endangered human being). So what is the law of Namibia telling the public?
Response: The sender seems to refer to the case of Magdalena Khamuxas who was sentenced to six years imprisonment for killing her boyfriend during a drunken stabbing spree. Khamuxas was not convicted on murder but culpable homicide and assault with intention to do grievous bodily harm hence she cannot be sentenced in the same way as those who kill others with intention, which will be regarded as a murder case. In a murder case involving a resident of the Gobabis district, this person was sentenced to 35 years imprisonment, after he had been convicted of the murder of his pregnant girlfriend in March 2013. In another murder case in Oshakati High Court, a 46-year-old man who admitted that he murdered his 35-year-old wife with a panga in the Oshakati district in September 2012 was sent to prison for 36 years.
Query: MINISTER of Justice, rescue us from the unhygienic conditions at the magistrate’s office at Otjiwarongo. There is only one toilet for all staff members – both male and female. There are no public toilets. Minister, hear our pleas and instruct those responsible to do something about it, or call them to order.
Response: The Ministry is aware of the difficulties; we wish to bring it to the attention of our audience that an advanced plan to address this situation is receiving favorable consideration. The magistrate’s court will soon be seeing improvements to its current office building, with an amount of N$15 million budgeted to be used to construct a new office building and additional courtrooms plus ablution facility. This will begin in the new financial year 2015/2016 which started 01 April 2015. The ablution facility and other problems the office is currently facing, such as lack of office space and shortage of courtrooms, to hear the cases brought before the court will soon be over. On the toilets being dirty the head in charge of this has been informed and has been instructed that these toilets be cleaned and maintained as such – again, interviews for an extra cleaner to be added to the current ones at this court were just conducted on the 09th March 2015 and will soon be appointed.
Query: WE, the mothers of unborn and small babies, have problems with irresponsible fathers. They do not want to pay us support money though some of them have government jobs. We ask government to act on this issue. If the father is working in government, they must pay the support money of N$500 every month. We are suffering a lot and when the child grows up they want him or her to live at their house, even though they did not pay support money. We only believe in the tradition “okaana omongwa ihakatindilwa” when they want the child, but seriously it pains when you don’t receive anything from the father.
Response: The Ministry sympathises with the mothers in this situation though there could be men experiencing the same problem. Help in solving support for the child among the two parents of the child could be sorted out by visiting any of our courts in the country or visiting the Women and Child Protection Unit at the police stations. Simon Idipo, Senior PRO, Ministry of Justice 061 280 5375 or 0814232203 or sidipo@moj.gov.na.
Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture
Query: MINISTER of Education, as a mother to another mother, I beg you to bring back corporal punishment to our schools as well as in our homes. Our children are misbehaving; they don’t show respect to their parents and teachers.
Response: Government, through the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia prohibits the application of corporal punishment. The Education Act also prohibits the application of corporal punishment on any learner by a staff member while performing their duty as teachers.
On corporal punishment upon learner, the Education Act 2001 (56) (1) stipulates: A teacher or any other person employed at a state school or hostel or private school or hostel commits misconduct, if such teacher or person, in the performance of his or her official duties imposes or administers corporal punishment upon a learner, or causes corporal punishment to be imposed or administered upon a learner.
Query: I REALLY do not understand why the pass mark for Grade 10 is 23 when half of 42 is 21. Ministry of Education please do something about that immediately.
Response: The 23 points are not determined by dividing the overall pass mark by half. The Ministry assesses the learners by competency. As per the Education Act, 2001 (4) the National Examination, Assessment and Certification board determines: (i) The minimum requirements and minimum standards to which the courses of study, curriculums and syllabuses under which such education is provided must comply and (iii) Minimum requirements and minimum standards for assessment and promotions. The decision is also informed by the promotion policy.
Query: SCHOOLS are not to use UPEF for erecting fences. A school fence is one of the performance indicators in the National Standards document. Teachers are then forced to sacrifice their weekends to raise funds for such activity. That is blood sucking. Which other ministries carry out fundraising activities?
Response: There is provision for schools to use grants allocated towards primary education for infrastructure and minor maintenance – at the discretion of the school board. The schools should seek permission/approval to erect fences, based on the budget and availability of funds. In fact, a portion of the grant can be directed towards infrastructure.